Joud Fahmy would have faced the Israeli competitor Gili Cohen if she had beaten Christianne Legentil, from Mauritius, in the opening round. Before the clash, however, Saudi officials tweeted that Fahmy had injured her arm and her leg during training and that as a result she would not fight.

Media outlets in Israel claimed that Fahmy, who was one of four female athletes Saudi Arabia sent to Rio, was not injured.